Jointed bracket



April 3, 1951 w. A; MENDELSOHN JOINTED BRACKET Filed June 17, 1949 AT TO RNEY Patented Apr. 3, 1951 UNITED STATE OFFiCE JOINTED BRACKET William A. Mendelsohn, Chicago, 111., assignor to Burton Manufacturing Company, Chicago, 111.,

a corporation of Illinois Application June 17, 1949, Serial No. 99,668

bers under ver slight pressure, and at the same time maintain the members securely and firmly in any position to which they have been moved.

A further object of the present invention is to provide tension means for counter-balancing swingable members, which means may be regulated to provide varying degrees of tension, and is hence easily adapted for a marked variety of uses.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide tension means for counter-balancing swingable members which is reliable in operation and is economical in construction.

With the above and other objects in View, my invention resides in the novel features of form, construction, arrangement, and combination of parts presently described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of an adjustable counter-balanced bracket constructed in accordance with and embodying the present invention and adapted for use as a lamp standard;

Figured is a vertical sectional view of the swivel joint;

Figures 3 and 4 are transverse sectional views taken along lines 3-3, l i, respectively, of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a transverse sectional Vlew'taken along line 5-5 of Figure 3; and a Figure 6 is a transverse sectional view taken along line 5-6 of Figure 2. I

Broadly speaking, the present. invention resides in providing a jointed supporting bracket comprising two arms swingably connected by a joint having self-contained counter-balancing means whereby the jointed arms may be moved by slight or finger tip pressure intoa selected position, and be maintained securely at any position at which movement is stopped.

Referring now in more detail and by reference characters to the accompanying drawing which illustrates a preferred embodiment of the present invention, A designates a supporting bracket comprising two arms I, 2, pivotally connected by a rocking joint 3. At its outer end the arm 2 is bifurcated and provided with a conventional swivel for supporting a vertical leg I provided at its upper end with a lamp B. The arm i is of general rectangular cross section having front and back walls 5, 5', and side walls 5, 6', and being open at its lower end for receiving the reduced upper end l of a connecting member 8 to which it is secured by screws 9 extending through suitable apertures in the walls 5', 6, E.

The connecting member 8 is provided with an internally threaded collar portion it for suitable attachment to a conventional floor standard 3. At their upper ends the side walls 6,5, of the arm 9 project forwardly beyond the plane of the front wall 5 in the formation of somewhat semicircular joint leaves li provided with axially aligned concentric apertures E2, the rearward portions of which are peripherally enlarged to form cam slots 3. The upper transverse margin of the front wall 5 is located just below the point of intersection between the arcuate margin of the leaves i! and the forward vertical margin of the side wall 6 and the back wall 5' at its upper end is curved upwardly and forwardly along the rearwardly presented portion of the arcuate margins of the leaves H, terminating substantia ly above the upper margin of the front wall 5 in the provision of an opening it between the arouate portions of the side walls t, 5, and the top and forward margins of the walls 5, 5', respectively.

Provided within the arm I and extending transversely thereacross is a swivel block 15 supported at its ends by shoulder screws it which project through suitable apertures in the sides 6, G. Centrally provided in the swivel block 55 is a vertical passage it for slidable projection there- ;through of an elongated screw member i8 which extends slidably through a bore is in a spring retainer member is disposed beneath the block I5 and having a diametrally reduced lower portion in the provision of an abutment shoulder 2 i, against which bears the upper end of a compression spring 22. At its lower end the compression spring 22 bearsagainst the shoulder 23 of a sec- .ond spring-retainer member 24 of similar construction to the member 2a but having a central bore 25 internally threaded fo engagement with the threaded lower end 260i the tension screw i8. The upper end of the screw i8 is formed in the provision of an eyelet 2'! through which transversely extends a stop pin 28, the ends of which project through the cam slots it of the apertures 52, respectively. The arm 2, like the arm I, is rectangular in cross section having a top wall 29, a bottom wall 30, and side walls 3|, which are provided at their rearward ends with substantially circular joint leaves 32 spaced apart in such a manner as to snugly overlie and abut facewise against the leaves I I, and are provided with radially inwardly extending arcuate recesses 33 for embracingly fitting around 'andeng'aging the stop pin '28. Forwardly of said recesses 33 the leaves 32 are respectively provided with apertures 34, concentrically aligned with the apertures I2 of the leaves I I.

Positioned in facewise abutment against the outer faces of the leaves H {are cover bea rings 35, 3E. The cover-bearing '35 is provided with a central aperture 37 concentrically aligned with the apertures l2 and the apertures t hand-a oncentric boss 31 adapted to fit snugly within and ride peripherally against the margins of'theaperture l2. The bearing 35 is integrally provided with'a stem 38 projecting inwardlyandconcentrically through said aligned apertures 12, 34, into the aperture -37 the bearing 35 is also provided with a circular boss 38 adaptedtofit snugly within, and rideperipherally against, the margins of the other aperture i2. At its outer'e'ndfthe stem "38 is axially drilled and tapped i for I receivingascrew 39 having a fiared head"*39 which is seated in a countersunkenlargement-swat the outer end of the aperture '37.

En'eircling the stem SB-and bearingat-'its-end against the inner faces of the end portions of the joint leaves 32 isaspacingsleeve member H. The cover-bearings '35, 436, are iirro'vided on their inner faces with-axially aligned-recesses '42,?3,

respectively, for receiving the ends of the-stop :pin 28. Disposed between the joint leaves ll, 32,

-respe'ctively, are phosphor bronze washerstid, 45,

respectively, and suitably wedged in circular recesses 46, '47, provided in the inner faces of the -cove"r be'a'rings 35, 36, respectively, and concentric with-the stem 38, areannulanfelt-wicks 48,

ingelectricity to the-lamp B.

p ation it will I be seen that downward tilting movement may be imparted t'o the adjusting arm 2 by exercising slightpressure-which lifts the stop pin 28 to cause the stem-member 18 to'b'e carried upwardly through the-passage '9 of the member 25 and the bore H of 'theswiva block 25, bringingtheretainer membe z i' therealong to effect compression-of the spring 22. 'Thusit "will be seen that any gravitational effect upon thearm "2 will-be counter-balanced by the spring 22 whereupon the arm 2 will' remain fixed in theselected'position. Conversely,-if thearm 2 is swung upwardly the stop pin '28 will be car- 'ried downwardly and the spring 22 will expand exerting a substantial lifting force so that only very light manual pressure is required. Since the joint leavesl'l'are stationary,'thecam slots 1 -|"3 therein, by restraining engagement with'the stop pin'28, serve tolimit-the' arcthrough which the arm 2 may be moved. Thus, when the stop pin 28 is in contact with the lower end of the cam slots I3 the upper limit of movement of the arm 2 will have been reached, and, correspondingly, the upper end of the cam slots l3 determine the extent of downward movement of the arm 3.

Adjustment-may be made by-threading the retainer member 241 upwardly or downwardly along the end 26 of the screw la in order to regulate "the resisting force of the spring 22 so that it will be just a slight bit less than enough to overcome the friction between the leaves i l, 32 under .the particular load resulting from the weight of the arm 2 'and'thelamp B carried thereby.

It s'hould'be understood that changes and modiifica-tio'ns in the form, construction, arrangement and combination of the several parts of the jointed "brackets may be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without departing from the nature and principle of my invention.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent'is:

1. A jointed bracket comprising a first arm, a second-arm, said arms being rectangularin cross section with the central portion hollow, joint leaves provided on one end ofeach of said first and second arms, bearing members engaging said fjoint leaves of the first and second arms for pivotally securing said arms, an elongated screw swivell mounted in said first arm and integrally their extremities, bearing members engaging said jointleaves of the first'and second arms foripivotally securing said arms, an elongated screw swivelly mounted in said first armand integrally provided at its upper end with a tubular -eye,

shouldereproviding ,members mounted space'dly on said screw, a spring encircling said crew and bearing'at its ends against the shoulder-providing members, a pin rotatably extending through ,said -tubular eye and inserted at its ends through the aligned slots in the first and second arms.

WILLIAM- A. MENDELSOHN.

REFERENCES CITED 'The following references are of record inthe file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Re. 17,845 Bosworth Oct. 28,1930 1,642,367 Hand. et al Sept. 13, 1927 1,708,047 ,Bosworth Apr 9, 1 929 2,416,910 Crosby'et al -QMar. 4, 1947 

